School: Glenwood Springs Demons, Class 3A Western Slope League
Record: 10-0 overall, 8-0 league, to end the 2007 regular season; has surpassed 200 career victories.
Coaching resume: Began in 1975, head coach at Roaring Fork and Durango; assistant at Colorado State; head coach at Littleton, Arapahoe, Grand Junction, Grandview and in his third year at Glenwood Springs.
Life lines: Age 56. Born in Colorado Springs. Graduated from Wasson High School in 1969, attended New Mexico for three years, graduated from Northern Colorado in 1974 with a degree in social science. Retired from teaching, currently in real estate.
Back in his day: All-state quarterback at Wasson, also played defensive back. Defensive back at New Mexico, quarterback at UNC.
Last week: Trailing 20-8 at halftime Friday night at Delta, the Demons, who have been at more crossroads in 2007 than a locomotive, chose the correct path again.
They reached down as they have since re-establishing their program over an arduous decade, rode the stellar play of junior quarterback Dakota Stonehouse and rallied for a 34-20 victory.
It was big – the effort boosted Glenwood Springs to 10-0, it ran the league table of eight games and further underlined its resurgence throughout 3A.
Most important, Glenwood Springs is back among the class powers. The Demons had been in the playoffs in 13 of 14 seasons through 1989. However, after 1990, they rang up a string of 13 consecutive losing seasons and suffered the indignity of failing to field a team in 1997.
“The program was in ashes,” Whitworth said.
All has been forgiven. The proud Demons have used a combination of lighter, skilled players to become prime challengers for the state title. They are seeded second in the 16-team postseason field that will begin play this weekend.
Stonehouse, who has 29 touchdown passes in 2007, threw three scoring passes in the second half Friday and ran for another.
“We get exposed once in a while as we’re a high-risk, high-reward offense,” Whitworth said.
That can happen when your team’s guards weigh about 170 pounds.
But the school and area are as excited as they’ve been since the 1980s, when coach Don Miller, a mentor of Whitworth’s who now runs the clock during games, headed the program.
That goes for Whitworth, too, who has been on the job for 33 years.
“Our kids have a great demeanor, they’re great kids and our community is so excited,” Whitworth said. “That’s the nature of football.”
The Demons will host their first home playoff game in decades Saturday at 1 p.m. against Sterling.
Neil H. Devlin
* The Denver Broncos high school coach of the week award, in its 12th year, will have 10 honorees during the regular season. NFL Charities will present a check for $1,000 to the school’s program. Whitworth, the final regular-season winner in 2007, joins Tim Owens of Thomas Jefferson, Bret McGatlin of Chatfield, George Purnell of Holyoke, Mike Griebel of Heritage, Mike Woolford of Regis, Jason Catron of Falcon, Doug Johnson of Longmont, Paul Griese of Woodlin and Todd Matkin of Highland as winners in 2007. A coach of the year will be announced at the Broncos’ Dec. 30 game against the Minnesota Vikings at Invesco Field at Mile High and receive $2,000. Coaches are selected from a panel consisting of Neil H. Devlin, The Denver Post; Billy Thompson, the Broncos; and Andy Lindahl, KOA 850 AM.
